Applications
Today, the world's capacity to transport outsized payloads by air is rapidly degrading. There are currently no large cargo aircraft being manufactured or planned, leaving both commercial and defense users with a dwindling supply of rapidly aging airframes to carry out critical airlift missions.
Radia's WindRunner is the only solution that is currently under development to address this shortfall. With 12X the interior volume of a Boeing 747 and the ability to operate from short, semi-prepared runways, WindRunner's unique capabilities not only allow it to meet the requirements of today's airlift missions but also allow it to open the aperture of what is possible to move by air.
The WindRunner is a platform that can be used for defense, aerospace, and other oversize commercial cargo applications in addition to wind energy.
Opportunities for Wind Energy
Radia's projects help wind farm developers build more profitable wind farms and expand their market to new locations and new regions. Because WindRunner can help them build in previously unreachable or economically unfeasible sites, they can achieve a higher rate of return, a lower cost of energy and the highest capacity factor. Radia also helps turbine manufacturers sell more of their existing wind turbines and creates a pathway for them to sell a new generation of large, high-efficiency GigaWind turbines, expanding to new geographies and new applications both on-grid and off-grid.
Opportunities for Defense
Defense airlift capabilities are rapidly degrading, with no viable replacement planned for aging fleets. The C-17 was last produced in 2015 and the C-5 in 1989. The last Antonov produced or delivered to clients was in 2016. Over 25 years have passed since the design of these aircraft, which has led to a multi-decade capability gap. For military or commercial applications, domestically or internationally, the WindRunner is the only large cargo aircraft solution.
WindRunner has the ability to transport a variety of DoD cargo, including space launch materials, oversized equipment, and humanitarian aid. It will also be easy to integrate the WindRunner into existing military logistics and transportation networks, helping to easily meet existing mission requirements and make new missions possible. Initial studies into WindRunner's defense capabilities has shown, as an example, that the WindRunner can transport 97% of the same payloads as the well-known C-5 Galaxy.
Opportunities for Commercial Cargo
Aging fleets and geopolitical constraints severely limit outsized air cargo options for commercial users. WindRunner can grow this unique market segment with little competition from historical incumbents. Key Verticals include Space, Energy and Extractives, Aviation, and Project Cargo.